And The Winner Is........With A Surprise!

First, I'll tell you the surprise.  I actually have 2 extra copies of the JCS Ornament issue!  So, we drew 2 names!!!

And the winner's are:

Melinda & Sheri!

Please drop me an email Ladies and I will get your magazines out to you in Monday's mail!

Pam's "Twist & Tack" Silk Ribbon Rose Tutorial

I was asked if I would share how I do the Silk Ribbon Roses on my crazy quilt projects.  Gladly!  I just had to wait to write it up until I could take photos.  Speaking of which, I apologize for the fuzzy ones.  They looked fine on the camera when I took them but when I loaded them into the computer, I was quite disappointed.

Still, I think the photos are good enough for you to see how to do this.  It's a really easy way to do silk ribbon roses and please keep in mind, they do not need to be perfect!  Roses in nature are not perfect so try to keep that in mind while stitching.

You will need 7 MM silk ribbon and a spool of sewing thread.  I usually use white but you can use a coordinating color if you choose.

For this technique, we are not pulling the ribbon through the fabric.  We are tacking it onto the fabric.

Step 1:  Thread your needle with sewing thread and knot the end as usual.  Tack your 7 MM silk ribbon and fold over the end 1/4 of an inch.  Then fold that 1/4 inch in half so you have a 1/8 inch double fold.

Fold that 1/8 inch over 3 more times.  This makes the center of the rose.

Pull your threaded needle up through your fabric/quilt block where you want the center of your rose to be.  Take a stitch at the bottom of the rose center and attach to your fabric/block.

Once you have it attached to your block, you can take an extra stitch to make sure it's secure.

Step 2:  To make the petals, you're going to twist your ribbon twice and tack it down with your thread.

Twist twice again, and tack it under the center of the rose.

Twist 2 times again and tack.

Continue to do twist and tack until your rose is about the size of a dime.

Cut your ribbon off and tuck the end under the nearest petal.  Tack with 1 or 2 stitches.

And there you have it!  A very easy Silk Ribbon Rose.  Enjoy!

Marie Antoinette Quilt Block 2 Completed

After taking Simba to the vet yesterday for another blood test (I'll have the results later today), I actually sat still and finished up on Block #2 of my Marie Antoinette Quilt:

And this is Block #1:

This is what they look like together:

Sorry that last photo is a twinge dark.  I really try to take good photos and I usually do okay but every now and then....

I pulled the 3rd block out and have it all ready in the hoop.  I have a few little things I'd like to finish up before starting on Block 3 so I'll wait to share that photo until I'm ready to start stitching on it.

If you're new to my blog, this crazy quilt is a Winter Project.  The theme is Marie Antoinette.  There will be 9 blocks, each featuring an image of Marie.  The blocks are 9 inches square.  I plan to have it completed by March at which time, I will assemble it and hang it in my Living Room.

2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue Drawing

I have an extra copy of the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue here.  This is the last issue that any of my cross stitch ornament designs will appear in.  As many of my long time readers know, I have retired from designing counted cross stitch.  I want to pursue other avenues with my creativity.

I thought it would be fun to have a little drawing for this magazine.  The rules are easy, just leave a comment on this post and I will add your name to a basket.  On Saturday morning, November 20th, Scott will draw a name and I will post the winner here later that afternoon.

I'll autograph this issue for the winner!!!  Good luck everyone!

Update On Marie Antionette Quilt Block 2

I thought you would all enjoy seeing an update on Block #2 of my Marie Antoinette Crazy Quilt:

I'm getting ready to work on this for an hour before getting ready to go over to mom's.

In other news, it really hit me hard yesterday that my Simba won't be with me real long.  Although he seems to be doing better, I'm smart enough to know that Kidney Failure is pretty much a death sentence.  I lost my Francis to Kidney Failure back in 96.

Honestly, I feel like I just keep getting kicked in the head, over and over and over.  It's like there's this perpetual dark cloud hanging over me that just won't go away.

I'm have to take Simba for another blood test tomorrow and am eager to see what that shows.  I'll keep you posted.

I've added a few new things to the shop:

 

I need to stitch now.  I expect to have my Marie block done in the next day or so.  Have a good day everyone!